Money and Power

Make or take a loan from a family member and watch your relationship change. Money and power go together. Too often money is used to control people and to influence outcomes.

Perry is a smart man I admire. He shared his secret to success. Perry will never make a personal loan. What he does is, give a gift. Loaning money to a loved one requires a difficult commitment. The money needs to be spent in a certain way and repaid in a specified time period. There’s almost always disappointment.

Here’s some tips from Perry about financial gift-giving:

1. Consider your own budget and disregard the amount requested2. Recognize the true ownership of the problem, and resist the urge to “rescue” somebody else3. Let the recipient know this is a one-time gift, do not give more in the future

A gift serves a different purpose than a loan. It’s a gift of freedom. By giving away an amount you can afford to part with, you’re saying, “I believe in you, I trust you.” Lender and borrower both win. Honor your family with strategic generosity and you’ll find just the right balance of power over money.

Tail End of Hope

I cannot see the lightat the end anymore.All I can see are the monthsstretched out before me,each one representinga new set of bills I cannot pay.

I see no way out.All I see is deeper debt,deeper failure.I would love for You to guide me out of this.I am asking to be rescued.I am asking to see results.

If this is not something You can give me right now,please teach me patience.Grant me the faith to hope for better timesand to believe in a worthwhile lesson learned.

Open my eyes to the many blessings that surround me now,the blessings that I do not have the strengthor energy to search for myself.

And above all,please show me Yourself,so that in moments of greatest self-doubt,I can find my way into your waiting armswhere I can understand that I am not in this alone.